The lure of helping Dustin Fletcher become just the third player in VFL/AFL history to reach the 400-game milestone should not sway Essendon into retaining the 39-year-old on the club's list for what would be a 23rd season in 2015 in the opinion of former Bombers champion Tim Watson.

Only Michael Tuck (426 games) and Kevin Bartlett (403) have scaled the mark, but Watson played down the importance of the number.

"Under normal circumstances I would say no (he shouldn't play on). I think it's irrelevant - the figure - to be quite honest. Even though it's going to be close to 400, he's going to be the games record-holder at Essendon," Watson said on 7mate's Talking Footy on Monday night.

Fletcher has played in 14 of the Bombers' 17 games this year. After a strong start to the year, his form has tapered off, and despite an impressive round 17 showing against Collingwood, he was beaten by Western Bulldogs youngster Jake Stringer before being moved into the forward line - where he failed to make an impact - during Essendon's narrow victory on Sunday at Etihad Stadium.

The backman is on 392 games, with five home-and-away matches remaining for the season, Despite the seventh-placed Bombers' recent run of form, history suggests they would be unlikely to play the three finals required to take Fletcher to 400 games unless they can force their way into the top four. Essendon sits two games and percentage behind fourth-placed Fremantle.

Both Lenny Hayes and Dean Cox have announced their retirements in the past week despite being within striking distance of the 300-game milestone.

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Watson believed that the landscape was made even more complicated by the Essendon coaching situation - with James Hird due to return next year and relieve interim coach Mark Thompson of his duties.

"James Hird is not back in the country at the moment, he's not part of that coaching panel at the moment, but he will need to be part of that decision-making process," Watson said.

Matthew Lloyd - like Watson, Hird and Thompson a former teammate of Fletcher, suggested that the veteran had done enough at this point of the season to warrant another contract.

“He’s had a better year this year than he had last year. At the moment, who’s better out of him and Tayte Pears? I’d probably say Fletcher,” Lloyd said on Channel Nine's Footy Classified.

“(But) if he gets rested or dropped in the next six weeks, maybe Fletcher will say to himself this isn’t for him.

“I don’t think he is a liability. I think he’s got some footy left in him still."

Thompson earlier told Fox Footy's AFL 360 program that the decision about playing on was "completely up to" Fletcher.

“He might decide he wants to play on, (but) I haven’t spoken to him about it. It’ll be soon, I suppose," Thompson said.

North Melbourne's 379-gamer Brent Harvey last week signed a one-year deal to play again in 2015. The 36-year-old midfielder is having an excellent year, averaging 26 disposals and one goal per game.